Imabari seals 20,000 teu mega-boxship orders, to build new drydock

Imabari said it had secured the order in cooperation with Marubeni and the vessels were being developed for undisclosed “overseas shipowners”.

It is not clear if the newbuilding are an expected move by Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) to operating 20,000 teu through long term charters with orders placed by major international containership owners.

To accommodate building the 400 m long by 59 m wide vessels the Japanese shipbuilder announced it is to build a new drydock of 600 m by 80 m which will be located on reclaimed land next to its Marugame headquarters.

Construction of the dock will start next month and is expected to be finished in October 2016.

The first of the 20,000 teu newbuildings is expected to be delivered in 2018. The largest containership built to date in Japan of 14,000 teu in capacity due to be delivered in March this year, part of a series ordered at Imabari by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line).

“We have been developing large size container carriers in order to respond to increasing ocean going cargo movement in the world,” Imabari stated.